What does Night Changes mean?

One Direction: Night Changes Meaning

Album cover for Night Changes album cover

Song Released: 2014


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Night Changes Lyrics

Going out tonight, changes into something red
Her mother doesn’t like that kind of dress
Everything she never had
She’s showing off
Driving too fast, moon is breaking through her hair
She said it was something that she won’t forget
Having...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 1st 2015 !⃝

    "Going out tonight
    Changes into something red
    Her mother doesn't like that kind of dress Everything she never had she's showing off"
    --- she is old enough to make her own decisions and she's wearing a dress for a date or dance that her mom doesn't like. She never was able to make her own decisions before. now that she is an adult she can get the things she has wanted that her mom didn't approve of in the past----

    "Driving too fast, Moon is breaking through her hair, She's heading for something that she won't forget
    Having no regrets is all that she really wants."

    ----she's feeling the freedom with her boyfriend, he's driving too fast, living it up. She is heading for something she'll never forget with him, he plans on proposing to her which will make it something she'll never forget. She wants to live life to the fullest and have no regrets on things she hasn't done.

    "We're only getting older, baby
    And I been thinking about it lately
    Does it ever drive you crazy
    Just how fast the night changes?"

    ---he's telling her as he's proposing to her, that they aren't getting younger they are only getting older together and he wants to start a life with her now, he asks her if she's going crazy with how fast the night changes into daylight meaning another day has gone by.

    "Everything that you've ever dreamed of Disappearing when you wake up
    But there's nothing to be afraid of
    Even when the night changes
    It will never change me and you"

    ---he's saying that while she's sleeping she has dreams that she really likes and feels and seems very real, but when she wakes up its only a dream, this could also be saying that past relationships seemed so real but then reality kicks in and she gets hurt. Her current boyfriend is telling her that he's not a dream, that there's nothing to be afraid of he will love her to the end of life even through all the changes in her life, he won't let it change his love for her

    "Chasing it tonight, Doubts are running 'round her head He's waiting, hides behind a cigarette
    Heart is beating loud, and she doesn't want it to stop"

    ----as they are chasing the the night, she is having doubts about the life with him and his vow to stay with her forever, which implies that she's probably been hurt a lot before from past relationships and been put in similar situations with ex's as she is now with her current boyfriend so she's scared, while she's feeling this way he's waiting for an answer from her and smoking a cigarette, she hears and feels her heart beating fast with excitement of the proposal and future with him and she doesn't want the feeling to ever stop, meaning she doesn't want this to be another "dream".

    "Moving too fast
    Moon is lighting up her skin
    She's falling, doesn't even know it yet
    Having no regrets is all that she really wants"

    -- some people may think they are moving too fast in the relationship, but his promises and love for her is making her fall for him more and more and eventually says yes to his proposal, but she didn't even know she was going to say yes because she was caught in the fears as well as the excitements. She doesn't want to regret saying no and loose everything because she let her doubts take over"

    "Going out tonight
    Changes into something red
    Her mother doesn't like that kind of dress Reminds her of the missing piece of innocence she lost"

    --- she's going out tonight, implying bachelorette party with her friends or on another date with her now, fiancé she's wearing the same red dress she wore the night he proposed to her. her mom doesn't like the dress because it reminds her of how she lost the innocent little girl she use to have, because her daughter is now a grown woman and her moms giving her up to someone else when she has the wedding

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 7th 2014 !⃝

    I honestly THINK 'Night Changes', is about growing up and becoming more mature and realizing what it is to grow up. and 'just how the fast the night changes' isnt legitally one night like over time how things change dramatically.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 23rd 2016 !⃝

    It's about a girl who is planning to/has lost her virginity to her boyfriend. The mom knows it's coming based off of the red dress the daughter is wearing, and how much she is revealing of her body ("Everything she never had, She’s showing off"), but she can't stop it- her little girl is growing up.
    The girl and the boy both want it to happen, but are nervous for their first time. (Chasing it tonight, Doubts are running ‘round her head. He's waiting, hides behind a cigarette, heart is beating loud, she doesn't want it to stop). Even though they have doubts, they think they are adult enough to handle it. Even though they know so much will change after, they don't think it will change their relationship.
    The next time they go out, the girl wears the dress again, and the mom is faced with dealing with the reality of her daughter not being a child anymore. Maybe the girl ended up pregnant or something to that affect.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 22nd !⃝

    It's about a girl about to repeat a mistake her mother made, going out and having fun, with the anticipation of losing her virginity with some random guy who promises her with everlasting love.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 11th 2023 !⃝

    Enjoy the moment whether you’re young or old, the night is your life, it changes and there’s an end, but your living it fully only changes if you let it pass you by.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 21st 2023 !⃝

    I think the song refers a girl who struggling with her family problems and past relationship problems. She living a life that she Doesn't want

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 28th 2023 !⃝

    I think the song is about losing your virginity and how it’s ok to do so. It also says “there’s nothing to be afraid of, even if the night changes.” This could been that I’d ok to be scared of this, but it’ll all be alright.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 4th 2022 !⃝

    Shes losing her virginity. It's literally that simple but apparently I need to use up more characters.
    So she was a virgin, and then she wasn't a virgin. And all she wants is to not regret it. Also, the mum is aware of the fact she is growing up.

    It's about a girl losing her virginity.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 22nd 2022 !⃝

    Antony Rigil obe.
    For me this song is about a girl who has experienced many problems in her life whether it be in relationship with patents, friends,ex lover...., i would especially give emphasis on the ex lover part. She has had a break up in her past relationship with a boy she truly and sincerely loved. The heart brk she experienced made her think not to be in love or in a relationship with someone again. But then unexpectedly this boy comes into her life.she felts an instant connection with him a feeling of dejavu. She is hesitant at the beginning to summit to his love as her mind always brings back memories of her last relationship. But every time she sees and hears his voice she is swarmed with

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 17th 2021 !⃝

    I think it is generally more about the struggles of becoming an adult. "Night" is a metaphor for youth, you're kind of blind, oblivious to what's happening. However, as you get older you become more aware of things (like romance), and the night slowly turns into day. Of course our parents want us to stay young and innocent forever. So I think this song is about the struggles of growing up for both the girl and her mom.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 28th 2021 !⃝

    My interpretation of this song is about someone in a relationship. Who goes to out with their boyfriend/girlfriend on date. But things go wrong as the night goes on. But they don't let the disappointing events define their relationship. I think that meaning be could related to any relationship a person has in their lives.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 22nd 2020 !⃝

    This is about a young woman who had a relationship with a mature married man with two kids. They fell in love but had obvious limitations and she had little chance of ever getting married and settling down with the man who despite his emotional indiscretion, continued to care for his wife and kids.
    After a certain period the young woman started feeling the need for a more stable and realistic relationship despite promising to see this love-affair through, even if that meant sacrificing her romantic longings and urges and the hope of living a normal life together.
    The man loved her with all his heart and had made so many adjustments to his own life to keep this going. But the girl wanted a way out. She had grown very fast and now cared less about his feelings. She wanted to set herself free from his shadow. She became resentful and cold and eventually started looking for a man. She found someone and within a few days of meeting, she had sex with this virtual stranger. She then tried to show her ruthlessness by deciding to marry that person and bluntly informed her first love of this.
    The man was devastated. His inner struggles killed him emotionally. But he reasoned that she had done everything out of her foolishness and that she would understand soon that it is never wise to rush into things just to prove that one has really moved on.
    He clings on to the hope that she will return to being the same innocent person he had fallen for.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 11th 2018 !⃝

    This song is very beautiful and could be interpreted in many different ways. I personally believe this song is about a girl having sex to relieve the pain of her tough life, but only to regret that later. LONG POST AHEAD

    ‘Going out tonight
    Changing into something red
    Her mother doesn’t like that kind of dress
    Everything she’s never had, she’s showing off.’

    The daughter grew up in a rough childhood and didn’t have much. But now she finally has the chance to show off the things she has never had before. The mother doesn’t seem to like the red dress as it signifies her daughter growing up.

    ‘Driving too fast
    Moon is breaking through her hair
    She said it was something she won’t forget
    Having no regrets is all she really wants.’

    The daughter decides to drive to a place (probably a party or bar, etc) to try to escape her tragedy and have fun. She doesn’t want to forget the fun she had, but to forget her rough life. She’s traveling to a place that she believes will relieve her of her struggles; to a place where she believes she won’t have any regrets.

    ‘We’re only getting older baby
    And I’ve been thinking about you lately
    Does it ever drive you crazy?
    Just how fast the night changes.’

    In the first part of this verse, the singer is telling the daughter to not waste any time, as they are only going to get older. I don’t think he is just talking about a relationship, but life in general. To enjoy life and party and go crazy, because you are only going to get older. He’s telling her to not waste her life on her tragic past. The second part of the verse, the singer is asking the girl if she notices how fast the night changes. I believe the “night” the singer is singing, is actually life, and he’s asking if she notices how quickly life can change, and how drastically it can change. He’s talking about how the daughter can have fun during the night, but once the sun comes up, your whole life could change.

    ‘Everything you’ve ever dreamed of
    Disappearing when you wake up
    But there’s nothing to be afraid of
    Even when the night changes
    It will never change me and you’

    This only furthers my theory. The girl can have the time of her life at night, have everything she’s ever wanted, and be everything she’s always wanted to be, but the moment that sun comes up, when she wakes up in the morning, her whole life could change, sometimes to even more pain and regrets. But the singer is telling her, that there is nothing to be scared of, that even if she has a tough life, even if she has regrets, she can still be happy. The singer is trying to convince that life doesn’t revolve around her regrets, that she should move forward, with her regrets. But the girl still doesn’t listen. She continues to try to have NO regrets.

    ‘Chasing it tonight
    Doubts are running around her head
    He’s waiting
    Hides behind a cigarette
    Heart is beating loud and she doesn’t want it to stop’

    This is where it gets tricky. This verse could certainly mean that the girl is planning on losing her virginity as a way to escape the pain. She doesn’t want her heartbeat to stop, because if it did, she would feel the pain. Another explanation is that a boy and a girl are running away, in search of a place where they could be happy, with no pain or regrets. What exactly “it” is, is really tricky. It could be sex or freedom, or even happiness.

    ‘Moving too fast
    Moon is lighting up her skin
    She’s falling, doesn’t even know it yet
    Having no regret is all that she really wants’

    This only backs up the theory about her having sex to forget the pain. The girl and and her “fling” are moving too fast, or having sex too fast. The daughter is falling because she’s relying on sex to provide her relief from the pain, which could come back to bite her later. But she doesn’t know it yet because all she cares about is having NO regrets, so she thinks sex with help her achieve that.

    *The chorus plays again*

    ‘Going out tonight
    Changing into something red
    Her mother doesn’t like that kind of dress
    Reminds her of the missing piece of innocence she’s lost.’

    This verse takes places after the daughter has sex with the boy. She is going out to party again wearing the same red dress. And her mother doesn’t like that red dress because now it signifies the innocence, or virginity she lost in a desperate attempt at happiness.

    Overall, I believe this song is about a troubled girl, who has sex to relieve her of her struggles, only to later regret her decision. And then grow from that regret and decide for herself to be happy, regardless of the pain she has. The singer tries warning her about how fast her life could change, and he turns out to be correct, as the girl chooses to live on and stop worrying about her pain. The girl decides to find happiness in herself.

    Edit: The chorus is really important, so I’m going to do ONE more analysis of the chorus. The theory may vary a bit, I apologize.

    ‘We are only getting older baby’

    Aligning with my theory, the singer is saying that we don’t have time to focus and worry about the pain and regrets we have. We don’t live forever, we are only going to get older, and what’s the point if we just waste our life away thinking about our pain?

    ‘And I’ve been thinking about it lately
    Does it very drive you crazy
    Just how fast the night changes?’

    The singer is asking the girl if she notices how fast a life can change. Even with the littlest things. I theorize that the singer can sense the girl’s pain, and knows that people do stupid things because of pain. He’s saying it in a warning tone, telling her to be careful, because her life could change in an instant.

    ‘Everything you’ve ever dreamed of
    Disappearing when you wake up’

    During her fling with the boy, the girl dreams and hopes that her pain will disappear. That she can finally be happy. But when she wakes up in morning after their fling, she finds that nothing has changed. She still has the pain, and more regrets. Everything she’s ever dreamed of was to have no regrets, but that hope disappeared when she woke up.

    ‘But there’s nothing to be afraid of’

    The singer is telling the girl to not worry about her regrets. To move on and forward. The singer is telling the girl that she shouldn’t be afraid of having regrets.

    ‘Even when the night changes’
    It will never change me or you.’

    Even when life changes, (in this case, the girl’s life changes after her fling with the boy, when she realizes she can create her own happiness) for the better or worse, it will not define us as people. And even when we do change as people, our value doesn’t.
    (For the you and me part: I don’t believe they are singing about the singer and the girl in a relationship, but them as individuals.)

    Edit 2: Last one, I promise!

    1. Girl is going out to a party, bar, etc. to try to escape the pain and is VERY dedicated to making sure she has NO regrets.
    2. Mother doesn’t approve
    3. Singer (who I believe is a person at the party or bar) tells her that she shouldn’t be afraid of having regrets; to move on, even with her regrets. Saying that life isn’t long enough to worry about your pain and regrets, but instead move on.
    3. Girl doesn’t listen and decides to have sex to try and find happiness
    4. Girl wakes up next morning with more regrets and pain
    5. Girl decides to stop chasing happiness, and instead create it.
    6. Girl decides to go out again, it reminds her mother of the mistake she made, and the innocence (virginity she lost)

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 12th 2018 !⃝

    I think there is a lot that could be perceived about this song, but here is just one person's opinion:

    Night Changes is about a girl who's life has been hard. The line "everything she never had, she's showing off" to me means that she doesn't have much, but she's pretending like she does.

    Then they talk about how fast the night changes, meaning she is realizing that she could be happy regardless of her situation. As the night goes on, she dreams of a better life, but she realizes that she doesn't need one. She likes herself (and her life) the way she is. "Everything you've ever dreamed of, disappearing when you wake up" to me means the riches and glory she wanted.

    Than, the part about the dress, and her mom remembering her own "missing piece". I think that is about when she realized how her life was/is hard, and she sees that her daughter can overcome it, so she can too.

    That is just my interpretation!

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 26th 2017 !⃝

    Its all about 1D and their fans.How fast they are growing into adults and we with them all the way,but no matter what,the relationship between us would always be! No matter the decisions they make[Zayn leaving,their hiatus].It will never change what is btw us!

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 14th 2016 !⃝

    my view of Zayn's line "going out tonight changes into something red" means that Zayn and that girl going out that night then changes into something bad which means "red" because red generally symbolizes the negatives so when Zayn sings going out tonight changes into something red Zayn would say that date turned into a bad situation. the "her mother doesn't like that kind of dress" part means to me that the mom doesn't like Zayn or something. The "Everything she never had, she's showing off" part tells me that as she's reaching her adult years she's getting the freedoms, decisions and other things that she never had before, she's showing that she can do things by herself

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 27th 2015 !⃝

    If you have ever heard of the "Red Dress effect", it means that women look more attractive in red than in other colors. Her mother obviously doesn't like this and has been protecting her for years, but the dress symbolizes that the girl is reaching independence and adulthood.

    Liam's verse talks about how she wants to break free and live her own life to the fullest ("driving too fast", "having no regrets is all that she really wants"). Also, the "moon is breaking through her hair" which means it is nighttime already and she is heading for something important and core to her life.

    I think the chorus means that everything is happening so quickly and life is changing as they reach adulthood. They don't have anymore innocence as they are probably doing the deed. As she goes on in life, the woman makes mistakes and her dream of a perfect, beautiful world "disappears when she wakes up". But her boyfriend tells her not to worry because change is inevitable and they will still stay together forever. He probably proposed that night :)

    In Louis' verse the girl is having doubts about what is happening in her life right now, but the boy is still there waiting for her, and he is smoking (symbolizes growing up). She feels alive right now with him and she doesn't want the feeling to stop.

    Now Niall's verse could be taken two ways: the girl got into an accident and died trying to "live" OR she is just enjoying her time with her boyfriend and time is going by so fast.

    Zayn's final verse changes its last line to "reminds her of the missing piece of innocence she lost" which the "her" could be the mom or the daughter. If the daughter died, then the mother is upset that she lost her daughter that was wearing a red dress (explaining why she doesn't like the dress: reminds her of her daughter's lost innocence and her death also). Take note that the color of blood is Red. But it could also be the daughter saying that the Red Dress reminds herself of becoming an adult, having sex, getting married. The Red Dress symbolizes the turning point of the girl's life and everyone around her.

    The last chorus can refer to the mom: it's horrifying how fast her daughter died and how the "night changed". She wanted her daughter to have a long perfect life, but the innocence and life just disappeared, only to be in her memory. But the last chorus can also refer to the couple, one that has not lasted as long as the mother-daughter relationship, but is as strong.

    Note that it doesn't have to be specifically nighttime. It could be referring to core events in a person's life. This girl is leaving her parents to marry the love of her life, showing how fast the night changes with a single action.

    Basically, whatever happens in life, there will always be the people who care for you. Becoming an adult, you tend to stray from your parents, but that doesn't mean the relationship wears down. Also, as you go through life, you'll craft new relationships and have ups and downs in life that you can always count on the other person to be by your side.

  18. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 27th 2015 !⃝

    I think this song means how we should "live while were young" and not regret the chances we didn't take. This song really made me realize that i had many opportunites that i should have taken but I was too afraid of what people were going to think of me and now I regret that! They are telling us that they might have a missed a chance of doing something but its too late now because time keeps moving on and your never going to be able to have that chance again.

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